Commander's Palace Lunch Review

“New Orleans food is as delicious as the less criminal forms of sin.” Mark Twain

The wife and I were in New Orleans a couple of weeks ago for a day and we took full advantage of the short time we were there. Commander's was everything and more than we both expected. We had reservations for 12:30, but arrived at 12 and were promptly seated at table overlooking the courtyard.

Drinks
To start off with my wife ordered a Cosmopolitan and I had a Sidecar which were both outstanding, especially the Cosmopolitan for a bargain at $.25. (Mrs.Somewhere had three) They brought some garlic bread to the table with our drinks which was buttery and rich. I could have made a meal out of it.

Appetizers
I ordered the Commander's 3 Course Selection so my appetizer was the Turle Soup, a Commander's must from what I had heard. To be honest, it lived up to the hype, it was rich, meaty and just absolutely delicious. I all but licked the bowl clean, it was that good.


The wife ordered the Shrimp and Tasso Henican. The shrimp were cooked perfectly, but at first she thought it was a bit too spicy for her taste. Then she had a bite with everything together, and it was probably one of the best bites of her life. The pickled okra, onions, and ham offset the heat perfectly. I tried it and thought it was fantastic as well.


Entrees
I had the Blackened Skillet Seared Gulf Fish entree (which was drum that day). It was so good! The fish came with sweet potato orzo and herbed couscous with Creole tomatos, roasted mushrooms, and brown butter vinaigrette. Let me tell you, another perfect bite. The way all the flavors came together was a work of art.


My wife had the Fire-Grilled Louisiana White Shrimp which was Wild caught Gulf shrimp over fresh
Ponchatoula red beans with spicy andouille,
grilled corn, trinity, crispy garlic, and
a sauce of Creole tomato étouffée. She liked it but had a case of plate envy after seeing my entree and and table next to us which had ordered the Couchon de Lait. Her dish was very good, but mine was better.


Dessert
Now to my favorite part of the meal. The 3 course comes with “The Queen of Creole Desserts”, Creole Bread Pudding Soufflé, Finished tableside with whiskey cream sauce. This one is so hard to describe because it was the perfect ending to a fantastic meal. It was warm, rich, creamy, and delicious. The perfect dessert.


My wife ordered the Ponchatoula Strawberry Shortcake which was made to order. Perfect strawberries, perfect biscuit, perfect cream... that's all there is to say.


To wrap up my Commander's review, it was definitely TOP 3 meals of my life. Service was fantastic. They have a 3 man system that is flawless. We left there full, a little tipsy, and very satisfied. All together the bill was roughly $90 before tip, and worth every penny. We will definitely have reservations the next time we are able to visit the great city of New Orleans.